Thank God England has gun control, one of those two poor yutes might have been injured had some honest citizen been armed. Gun control, to me it means ten in the X ring, to the left it means protection for the criminals.

I like you scotsman, but some of us have been over to the British papers and have been appalled at the brutal, vicious reaction to the Newtown killings. I'm personally sickened by the reaction of Daily Mail, Independent, Guardian & Telegraph readers to this horror.

I've been visiting and living in England since the mid-1970s. I love it but am disgusted by the ill-mannered and ill-educated responses to our Constitution and our country. What goes around comes around.

Handguns: most illegal since 1997 on the British mainland, but legal in Northern Ireland, as is some form of concealed carry. Very limited handgun licence is available on the mainland for personal protection where there is a verifiable specific risk to the life of an individual and that the possession of a firearm is a reasonable, proportionate and necessary measure to protect their life’.

Most British people like the US, and many people here are fed up of these spree killings. And children as victims just fuels more anger. And many Brits will never grasp the gun love in the US. I do, but guns have never been anywhere near as mass owned as your nation. We were built on the sword, not the gun. And we kill with knives, not guns.

Thank you! I am curious as to what kind of people are able to “carry” due to “verifiable specific risk”? I am assuming that these individuals are private and not law-enforcement personnel. If your life is threatened by an unidentified person perhaps? Thank you again in advance.

One slight correction on airguns. If the energy of the fired pellet is below 12 ft/lb there is no license needed. If the energy is greater than or equal to 12 ft/lb a firearms acquisition certificate (FAC) is required, which is the same license needed for a rimfire or centerfire rifle. Suppressors should be bought at the same time and added to the FAC. It is considered poor form to shoot unsuppressed guns thus disturbing the quality of the idyllic countryside, or the poor scotsman trying to enjoy his dram.

It is utter hatred of America. You have obviously not been bothering to read the comments on almost all the newspapers. Scotsman, you get one negative comment on Great Britain at FR and you are all over the person who has written it. But just go look at the bile that is poured out on a daily basis on your broadsheets and tabs. It is sickening.

And why are Brits “fed up” with spree killings in America? Why don’t you look (I know, it’s hard to find!) at the crime sections of your own sites. Just yesterday two gun killers were sentenced to prison and an old man was pistol whipped in one of the great cities in either the Midlands or Yorkshire.

We don’t have “constant” massacres. If we did, we’d all be dead. The worldwide media goes nuts when there is a shooting in America encouraging copy cat madmen. (Besides, I think you guys had one in Scotland unless I’m mistaken?) And I must say, our country has yet to produce someone as charming as Myra Hindley.

You come to FR but you don’t go to your own message boards? That’s odd. You might learn something that we Americans have found out: Great Britain has no understanding of our Constitution, specifically the 1st and 2nd.

You don’t need to apologise for defending your country. But I’ll defend my country to the very end and correct all the wrongheaded impressions left by your media.

You have had more spree killers since 1984 than the rest of us in the West combined. Not that 1984 was the start of it: Whitman for example. How many have you had just this year?. This one, James Holmes, the Sikh temple.....are you seriously denying you dont have a constant stream of spree killers?. Columbine, Virginia Tech.....the number in the 30 years is frankly endless. Sadly.

‘And I must say, our country has yet to produce someone as charming as Myra Hindley.’

What a bizarre statement. I would try and respond with an American serial killer/sociopath, but I am sadly spoilt for choice.

‘You come to FR but you dont go to your own message boards? Thats odd.’

Thats not what I said. I said I dont go the messageboards on the BBC News or Sky News. I am a member of many British boards across many interests, from soccer to film, music to politics. FR and RightNation are the only two US ones I am a member of.

‘You might learn something that we Americans have found out: Great Britain has no understanding of our Constitution, specifically the 1st and 2nd.’

And my years on here and on RN and on US sites generally has taught me that many Americans equally have a frankly ignorant grasp of Britain. And the world outside the US.

‘You dont need to apologise for defending your country. But Ill defend my country to the very end and correct all the wrongheaded impressions left by your media.’

As you should. But there is nothing wrong or unpatriotic in saying your country has problems. You can admit that and still love your country despite its faults.

Remember Dublane, scotsman, before you do your usual dumping on America.

I mentioned Myra Hindley not because we don’t have killers but because of the hideous nature of her offense: audiotaping children’s final death screams while her boyfriend raped and murdered those same kids. She couldn’t be executed because English justice made a major screwup with Tim Evans.

You should be glad that Americans don’t follow your news cycles. If they did more of that, you, perhaps, would not be so superior.

1—I havent denied the UK has had spree killers (3 so far). Its the sheer volume of them that the US seems to have.

2—I dont dump on America. Wind your neck in.

3—And there havent been US serial killers who have indulged in even worse bestial torture?. Hindley was evil, a vile excuse for a human being (as is Brady),

And she couldnt be executed because the death penalty had been suspended in 1965. And that wasnt totally down to Evans. In fact, it had little to do with it at the time. There had been other notorious cases (Hanratty, Derek Bentley, Ruth Ellis, all of which were much more controversial than Evans), and as the 60’s came in, a more liberal feeling started to affect people’s opinions on the death penalty.

Ludovic Kennedy and his book on Evans didnt come out until well after Evans’s hanging in the early 50’s. The public idea of Evans as a wrongly hung man really didnt take on until the book and esp the 1971 film.

4—Evans wasnt innocent. Despite the hype from the book and film ‘10 Rillington Place’. He has become a cause celebre for innocence here, but usually by people who have just seen the classic film and dont know anything about the case.

Same with Hanratty. Who lo and behold turned out to be guilty (thank you DNA).

5—Stop bleating about this limey acting all superior. Because I am not. I get no joy from American murders, deaths or spree killers. Any more straw and you could burn Edward Woodward with whats left over.

Calm down yourself, scotsman. I haven’t seen you so worked up since I told you I disliked Bisto granules.

I think most people realized that the death of Tim Evans might have been a miscarriage of justice when John Christie resurfaced in 1953 with a house full of dead bodies. So, no, I don’t believe the brilliant film or the Kennedy book was completely responsible for exonerating Evans. I tend to think Evans was innocent but would certainly be willing to consider the alternative.

And, of course, I understand that there were probably other reasons for the death of the death penalty in England.

You hate Bisto?. W*ore!. LOL As to Evans, People should be very wary of quoting him as a classic example of misjustice. Firstly, a forgotten or usually misquoted fact about Evans is that the Brabin Inquiry report found that Evans had probably killed his wife and that he had not killed his daughter. As Evans had been convicted of his daughter Geraldines murder, and not the murder of his wife, Evans was granted a posthumous pardon in 1966. Secondly, I very strongly recommend reading The Two Killers of Rillington Place by John Eddowes released in 1994 (or Rupert Furneauxs 1961 book on the Christie-Evans case). Preferably both, cross referenced with Kennedys book. Both found/find Evans guilty. Like most, I grew up watching this film, and read Ludovic Kennedys famous book on which the film script was based. And like many thought Evans an innocent man. Until 1995. And Eddowes book. BUT having read Eddowes book and having then re-read Kennedys as well as Furneauxs and other articles on the case, I now and have for several years believed that in fact Evans DID commit murder and was NOT framed. I have even conversed personally with John Eddowes by email on this. Eddowes frankly destroys Kennedys book and in fact has an entire bullet point chapter simply made up of all the mistakes, half truths and outright distortions of his evidence. Not only did Eddowes study the Kennedy book and the pardon campaign in the 60′s, he reinvestigates the case from top to bottom. And Eddowes uncovered evidence that shows Christie could not have killed Beryl Evans and that Evans, far from being the simpleton portrayed by Hurt, was of normal intelligence and had a police record of domestic assault against Beryl Evans. And that he DID kill both his wife and daughter. And that Evanss legendary low IQ is quite simply a myth. Eddowes also interviewed Timothy Evanss stepbrother (not sure whether he is still alive, he was in 1994-95 at the time of the Eddowes book) who always thought Evans did it. In fact he tells Eddowes this!. I must be the only person who thinks Tim did it, or words to that effect .Which dosent make Christie any less of a monster, as he killed numerous others .. Most British people believe Evans an innocent man. Primarily based on a film. Like me, after reading Eddowes and Furneaux, I doubt many would confidently share their earlier views with little doubt .at the very least, it should make anyone who reads it at least question the modern belief that Evans was an innocent victim. I recommend the two books if anyone here comes across them. Fascinating reads.

1. As an American, you know that my sense of irony does not go so far as being called a whore. (I also recommend that you don’t use the infamous “c” word around here. Americans don’t understand its nonsexual use.)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.